A small, Neolithic sandstone figurine discovered by archaeologist Jakob Kainz is thought to be the earliest image of a human in Scotland. “This is a find of tremendous importance – representations of people from this period are incredibly unusual in Britain,” said Culture Minister Mike Russell.

Archaeological research has challenged the idea that Chinese culture emerged with the Xia dynasty in 2100 B.C. “Most of us accepted that the Yellow River was the origin of Chinese civilization. But as we’ve done more research, we have found other cultural areas,” said Wang Wei of the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.   If you have a subscription to Science, you can read the full text of the article, “Beyond the Yellow River: How China Became China,” by writer Andrew Lawler.  

Five people, described as “a tomb-raiding group obsessed with fengshui,” were detained in China. “The fengshui master even gave them magic artifacts to ward off evil before the raids,” said Zhang Jun, an officer from the Beijing Public Security Bureau.  

German scientists are studying the distinctive 2,500-year-old pottery left behind by Nigeria’s Nok people, who also smelted iron bracelets, arrowheads, and knives; and ate millet, cowpeas, and an olive-like fruit.  

In Portugal, archaeologists have found what they think was the headquarters of General Wellington, who fought during the French invasions between 1807 and 1814. More than 150 forts had been built to defend Lisbon from attack.   

An archaeological survey is planned for Fort Edward, Britain’s largest fort in colonial America, which was accidentally damaged by dredging crews on the Hudson River last week.   

Road crews in Mexico discovered an Early Classic period Maya altar that was dismantled in order to protect it from machinery. “Each stone has been registered, ready at any time when it is decided to rebuild it,” said archaeologist Eunice Uc Gonzalez of the Yucatan INAH Center.  

An Acadian village in Nova Scotia has been ravaged by pot hunters. “Three hundred and seventy holes on this site is hardly a hobby,” said Charles Burke, a Parks Canada archaeologist.  

Here’s more information about the artifacts found in the collection of artifact dealer Carl “Vern” Crites, in Durango, Colorado.  

Russian archaeologist Victor Sarianidi has been awarded the medal of the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Sarianidi discovered the famed “Gold of Bactria” in northern Afghanistan in 1978.  

Another Egyptian mummy will receive a CT scan, this time at Stanford University Medical School.

Three figurines of the goddess Aphrodite, or Venus, were unearthed at the site of Susita in the southern Golan Heights. “The figurines we found were made in a mold in rather large numbers. They would be offered to the goddess in a temple by supplicants, or kept above one’s bed,” said Arthur Segal of the University of Haifa.

Tempers flare as plans to build a President’s House memorial at Philadelphia’s Independence Mall develop. Some charge that design changes “made in secret” by an architect are inaccurate reflections of the house and its slave quarters. “We are not building a reconstruction of the President’s House. The power is that it is on the site and there are architectural remains. But the [human] stories are what give it power,” responded park superintendent Cynthia MacLeod.  

Here’s another article on the indictment of a Colorado couple for violating federal laws protecting American Indian antiquities. Yesterday, they surrendered their private collection of artifacts.  

Scientists working at mass grave of World War I soldiers in Fromelles, France, respond to the accusations that their work has been poorly done. “Giving people back their relatives is one of the most rewarding things you can do,” said archaeologist Ambika Flavel.